Why Americans are fat...take two...

I was watching a movie yesterday, on the Indie channel. They did not have commercials. Honestly, I get up, during commercials (or pause a movie on the DVD) and go get something to nosh on. I realised this.

In the cinemas in France, there weren't popcorn, candy, soft drinks, etc. (at least not the two I went in). There weren't those things on the boat at the movie there (the one place we weren't being fed/beveraged)... Its fascinating.

And it really made me think, we really are a food-obsessed culture, and not in a good way. France is food-obsessed in a good way. You sit down, you have a wonderful piece of something, you enjoy it, and then you are done. You don't go home, turn on the telly, and have a packet of chips. (sorry about the mix of anglicisation and americanisms--story of my life, and being on the Queen Mary II brought some of that back to life for me)

Yes, there are other factors too, mini-chocolates, maxi-chocolates (whatever happened to a normal sized candy bar? its either snack-size or mega-humongous-big-whopper-value sized), corn syrup (and now the lobby is feeling the pinch and putting ads out), not having a walking culture...

But you start adding up all the little things, and its scary...

A little disappointed...

*sigh*

So we had our first rehearsal for Annie last night. I'm ensemble, that's fine, I knew that going in. But I kept hoping, until last night, that I'd have a line, or even be an understudy for someone... nope. The only one who was in it last year who does not have any additional bit? Me. Bleah. Everyone else has two or three bits. I know I tended to duck out early from the cast parties and such, but I don't do well when I can't drink because there is nothing safe for me to eat...and don't want to get sloshed when I have to drive myself home. I did sign up for the cast party comittee, that way I can make sure there will be stuff for various allergies, etc, maybe some interesting punch/non-alcoholic stuff.

It just becomes hard to sign up for as much as I'd like to, living 1/2 an hour (or 45 minutes in the case of SLOCO) away, so I try to sign up for those things I can do at home, etc. I'm sure that was a factor. As is the fact that I seem to be scheduled (AGAIN!!!) to work the Sat we move in to SHS. I can't really ask to switch, because with all the crud going on at work, its not really flexible. *sigh*

Oh well, it will still be fun. And there is always next year. Even though this year is when my parents are actually around... imagine that.

Odd Conversations at work...

So I'm trying to jump back into the dating scene (back? I was never really there to begin with). I started out with a wine tasting at one of the local historical places. Yes, I met a few people, but the wine was cheap...so next day, HEADACHE.

So I was chatting with my co-workers the next day, my boss asks me if I've tried Catholic Singles. I said no, because a lot of the things were very religiously oriented, and while I believe, its not the focus of my world. We then started on a topic of dating younger men, which we had to break off because one of our patrons, a member (and ringleader) of The Old F***'s Club, was coming over, probably to see what we were chatting about. Because God Forbid I actually want to laugh about some of the oddnesses of dating... (it seems also like a lot of the men my age are now divorced with kids, which makes me feel OLD).

So later, we pick up the conversation again, and I started to explain to my boss that I have no problem dating younger men (just call me Mrs Robinson). I then find out that she had misheard something I'd said as "Harry is too young", and that's why it evolved into a whole thing on dating younger men... I have no idea what I'd said, but I don't know a Harry...

We end up having odd conversations at work. And the danger zone is that, working in the Library, being active in Church, yadda, yadda, yadda, means that people coming in often know my life just as well as I do!

And now I'm posting this on the Internet for all to see... you know, just to make sure everyone knows all the juicy details of my life. Its an open book anyway!

I'd come in to work the day before and a patron asked me how I'd liked my lunch! Which I'd just bought and eaten at home... that was a 'waittaminute' moment...turns out she saw me at Trader Joes.

So, I will be able to Dewey Decimalize soon...

Heh. We are discarding books from the library collection these days. And I have to confess, I have a tendency to take a few home with me... Its very sad... but pretty soon, seeing as how we are discarding tons, I will have my own library! Heh.

But its also frustrating. I wish we had book recycling in this country. There are so many old textbooks, travel books, etc, that just end up going to waste...

*sigh*

Why can't we recycle unwanted books, phone books, etc? Just such a waste of paper to be tossed in the trash...

The fabulous things people do with rice...

http://coolthingsinrandomplaces.com/rice-field-art/

and a funny:

http://www.sonnyradio.com/treadmillcats.html

Wow. I loved being on the cruise, but...

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=51075048.blog

As you know, I traveled back to the States on the Queen Mary 2. It was fabulous, luxurious, and surprisingly busy, but after 8 days on ship (Hamburg to New York), I was ready to get off. There were an amazing variety of people on the Queen Mary 2. There were people who knew the route, where the best spots were, who were old fans of the ship...who had been on all the Cunard cruise lines. There were folks 'trying it out' who went Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton. (There may have been folks who went Southampton-Hamburg, or Hamburg-Southampton, but the former, I obviously wouldn't have met..) There were even a group of about 200 people who were going round-trip Southampton-New York-Southampton. I think I would have gotten cabin fever! It amazed me how many people were regulars.

I can still see why this lady would like to live aboard, though. In this era of retirement homes with forced activities, poorly paid, overworked staff... to live in a place where you get to go all over the world, with meals included. They take care of your dietary needs, you can swim, you can go to lectures, plays, take a dance class, get a massage...there is a library, and for a nice chunk of change, even Internet. There are pretty up-to-date movies, and even TV (although you lose it in the Mid-Atlantic..Cunard needs to set up their own satellite for TV). You'd always meet new people. And the staff would really get to know you.

I would miss taking ceramics, seeing trees and greenery, seasons... I would miss having my own things around me, and I'd get tired of dressing for dinner every night. I'd want to get off the boat and walk around.

An ode to self-portraits at arm's length...